Second Chances
by BiteMyTongue
Summary: Everyone gets a second chance in life. Klaus gets a second chance at having a family when he comes across a little girl by a lake. Bella's has had several second chances, at family, life and now love. All she can hope for is that her second chance at love is as successful as she wishes it to be.
Author's Note

Well… I hope you enjoy it!

Tell me what you think, and I hope you enjoy!

-Page Brea

Klaus walked past the river and paused as he saw one brown haired girl sitting on the edge of the river with her small feet dangling in the water. He looked around and noticed that there was no one watching her. He stepped forward as he noticed the water was beginning to grow rougher. He grabbed the back of her shirt as she almost fell into the water with the strong pull of the current. He set her down on the ground and kneeled down in front of her.

"Are you alright?" Klaus questioned, he noticed the little girl's brown eyes widening and then she shifted her head down. Klaus went to move when he saw the young girl's outstretched hand. Slowly he took hold of her small hand.

 _I hope he kills that girl._

 _It would be just like him to save her and then kill her himself._

 _Maybe he'll let me kill her… I've always wanted to see how child blood tastes. I bet it's fresher than anything else because it's so pure._

Klaus looked strangely at the girl and then he turned to his companion for a moment. The blonde newborn smiled at him as their eyes met. Klaus turned back to the small girl. "You're just full of wonders aren't you, little one?"

She put a finger to her lips and shook her head.

"I see; you're not supposed to talk about it." Klaus said quietly, he caught the girl's small nod and stood back up. "Cassidy, would you like to taste her?"

The blonde vampire grinned her fangs appearing and the veins circling her eyes. "Oh Klaus! I'd love to!"

Klaus outstretched his hand and caught her by the throat. "That was just a test, love. You didn't do so well." Klaus turned to the little girl. "Close your eyes, little one."

The young girl closed her eyes and put her small hands over her ears and stayed as still as she possibly could.

In a few swift movements Klaus ripped the newborn vampire apart he threw the pieces behind a bush making a mental note to have one of his men return for the body. He kneeled back down in front of the girl and gently removed her hands from her ears. "Now that she's taken care of, can you tell me if you're alright?"

She nodded her head and rolled up her sleeves showing her arms to Klaus to prove that she was okay.

Klaus chuckled, "What are you doing out here by yourself, little one?"

She nodded towards the water and slowly walked back towards it, she sat back down in her spot on the rock, this time she crossed her feet underneath her instead of dipping them into the water. She turned her head to Klaus and patted the spot beside her.

With an amused smirk Klaus sat down beside the girl. "Can you speak, little one?"

She nodded her head but her eyes kept looking out towards the water.

"If you can speak why don't you answer any of my questions?" Klaus questioned and paused as he saw her shake her head at him. "I'm assuming it's because you were told not to speak to strangers?"

The little girl nodded her head and smiled pleased to know that he understood what she was trying to say.

"My name is Klaus, now I'm not a stranger to you anymore. Can you tell me your name?" Klaus suggested.

"Isabella, but I like Bella." She replied in a soft voice.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella." Klaus said as he extended his hand to her.

She took it nodding her head. "Nice to meet you."

"What are you doing here by yourself, Bella?" Klaus questioned.

Bella sighed, "They forgot to take me home."

"Who forgot to take you home?" Klaus questioned.

"Lady Smith and the others." Bella said as she tilted her head and looked up at the bird. "Did you know birds have thoughts too?"

"They do?" Klaus questioned curiously.

She nodded, "I can't understand them, but they're there. It's really pretty to hear."

"And how can you hear their thoughts?" Klaus questioned.

Bella grinned, "I'm a special kind of girl." She paused and her smile dimmed. "Everyone is scared of me."

"Can you hear what I'm thinking, Bella?" Klaus questioned.

Bella shook her head. "You're fuzzy." Bella said, she stood and walked towards Klaus and placed a hand on his cheek and focused.

Klaus closed his eyes as all he could hear was a soft buzzing noise. "This is me?"

Bella nodded, "You hear what I hear." She said as she took a seat directly at his side. "You're special too."

"Do you like being with Lady Smith?" Klaus asked Bella as he watched her yawn and lean against him.

"No, but I have to be with her." Bella said quietly.

"Does she forget you in places often?" Klaus questioned.

Bella nodded, "I can't find my way home this time." She said softly, she looked at the river. "I thought the river could lead me away."

"You wanted the river to take you?" Klaus questioned his voice a little surprised.

Bella nodded, she looked to Klaus and smiled. "If I focus hard enough I could evolve and become a mermaid and live in the ocean!"

Klaus smiled, her eyes shined with so much hope at the idea. "Do you like mermaids, Bella?"

Bella nodded enthusiastically, "I love Ariel she's the prettiest princess."

"Do you want to be a princess, Bella?" Klaus questioned.

Bella nodded and pointed to the water, "Ariel wanted to become human and she did. I want to be a mermaid; I just have to try."

Klaus sighed. "How old are you, Bella?"

"I'm six." Bella said proudly, "But Lady Smith says I act like an older kid."

"Who is Lady Smith, Bella?" Klaus questioned curiously. "Is she your mom?"

Bella wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Lady Smith is the woman who takes care of me at the school. We were on a field trip today, but I got left behind when Tommy tripped me."

"And where are your parents, sweetheart?" Klaus questioned.

Bella shrugged, "I don't have any."

Klaus turned his head as he could hear the shouting of Bella's name in the distance. "It looks like someone came looking for you."

Bella sighed, "I guess it's time to go." She stood and jumped off the rock. She smiled as Klaus went to stand beside her. "Am I going to see you again, Klaus?"

"I believe so." He replied with a smile. He kneeled down and took off the necklace around his neck. "I'll be back to see you, soon little Bell."

Bella smiled, as he placed the necklace around her neck. "You don't know where I live."

Klaus smirked, "Don't you worry little Bell, I'll find you."

Bella nodded, "You know," She said with a hopeful grin. "I'm up for adoption. Two special people always find each other." Bella looked off as she heard her name. "Better go, Lady Smith can get crabby if she misses bingo night."

Klaus chuckled softly as he watched the small girl walk off, shouting at the top of her lungs that she was still alive.

-Page Break-

Bella groaned as Lady Smith came her way. Had she done something wrong? She stood and put her hands behind her back. "Lady Smith." She greeted softly.

"Isabella, there's someone here for you." She said with a warm smile. "They want to adopt you."

Bella wrinkled her nose, she had gotten her hopes up at the idea of Klaus coming back for her. "Do I have to go?" Bella questioned with a pout, she still had the hopes that Klaus would be the one to adopt her, she knew that he was special just like her.

"Yes," Lady Smith replied she held out her hand. "Come now, Isabella, we have to put you in your best."

Bella frowned the entire way to the front office as they had forced her into a pink dress. She had begged for the blue one, but they had made her decision for her and forced her into the pink one. After she threatened to throw a tantrum they allowed her to keep the necklace Klaus gave to her on. She crossed her arms over her chest as she was nudged into the office. She was more than ready to hate whomever was waiting inside that office for her. She paused and a smile made its way to her face as she saw Klaus.

"Hello, little Bell." Klaus said as he smiled down at her.

Bella grinned brightly, she stepped forward and in a move that surprised the two women in the room she moved to hug Klaus. "I'm glad you came."

"It took a bit longer than expected, but I'm here." Klaus said as he gently picked her up. "Have you been alright, little Bell?"

"It's very boring here." Bella admitted with a frown. "And they put me in a _PINK_ dress!"

Klaus chuckled, "Would going out make you feel better?"

Bella grinned, "Yes!"

Klaus smiled as the little girl clutched to him. He heard her going on and on about how itchy her dress was and how much she hated it. He laughed lightly as he couldn't believe she could talk so much.

-Page Break-

Bella bounced on her toes as Sofia finished her hair. "Can I go get dressed now?"

"Of course, your clothes are laid out on your bed." Sofia said as she stood and ushered Bella out.

Bella skipped through the house on her way to the room. She paused as the doorbell rang, shrugging her small shoulders she walked towards the door. Bella opened it and tilted her heard at the man who stood there. "Can I help you?"

"I'm sorry, I must have the wrong home." He said in an accent that reminded her of the one her father spoke in.

Bella scrunched her brows in thought.

 _I suppose I was wrong, Niklaus isn't here._

Bella stepped away from the door in fear. How did this stranger know her dad? Bella looked up as she felt Klaus's presence behind her.

"What did I say about opening the door?" Klaus questioned as he looked down at her.

Bella frowned and looked to the door. "Not to."

Klaus nodded, "Go get changed, little Bell."

Bella nodded she went to the stairs but paused as she saw her dad walk up to the man. She couldn't hear what was being said but if she focused hard enough she could hear the man's thoughts.

 _I can't leave her here._

 _I have to get that little girl away from Niklaus._

 _I can't get inside the house, but I'm sure at one point she'll be left unguarded._

 _There's an orphanage a few towns away, I can hide her there for the time being._

Bella took in a deep breath the panic his thoughts caused was taking over. " _ **NO**_!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Her hands went to her head and she shook it roughly. "No. No. No. _**NO**_!" She repeated as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Little Bell." Klaus said as he picked her up and cradled her in his arms. "Tell me what's wrong."

Bella shook her head and cried into Klaus's shoulder. "He…" She hiccupped as she tried to speak through the tears. "He wants to take me back to the home." She cried harder into Klaus's shoulder. "Don't let me go back, daddy. I don't want to go!" She put her hand on his neck and let him hear what she heard from Elijah.

Klaus sighed, "Don't you worry, little Bell, no one will take you away. Do you trust me, princess?"

Bella nodded her head silent tears streaming down her face. "Then I want you to go with Sofia, she'll keep you safe while I deal with him." Klaus responded gesturing his head to the door.

"I don't want to go back." She repeated as she wiped her eyes.

Klaus smirked and kissed her forehead. "No one will ever take you away from me."

"You promise?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"You have my word, little Bell." Klaus said he stood her up and pointed to Sofia. "Go with her."

Bella nodded, but before she left she put her arms around Klaus's neck and hugged him. "Love you, daddy." She whispered before she let Sofia lead her away.

Klaus grabbed the hidden object Sofia handed him and put it in his back pocket.

Klaus waited for them to disappear before he turned back towards the door. In a blur of movement, he was out the door with his hand around the man's throat. "What the hell do you think you're doing at my home, Elijah?" Klaus growled louder. "Tell me dear brother, what gives you the right to think you can take my daughter away from me?"

"Daughter?" Elijah stammered out as Klaus's hold on his neck only tightened.

Klaus chuckled, "What did you come here for Elijah? Is this your way of trying to come and confront me?" Klaus smirked widely. "Truly the stupidest thing you've ever done." In a swift movement Klaus pulled the stake from his back pocket and plunged it into his brother's heart. He let go of his brother's neck and watched as he fell to the floor. He strained his hearing and could hear Bella's quiet voice echoing through the house. He dragged his brother's body inside and threw it down into the basement, he'd finish dealing with him later. He strode up the stairs and with a smirk on his face as he heard Bella's long sigh.

"I don't want to wear _that_!" Bella said in disgust. "It's orange!"

"Bella, you have to wear this." Sofia said with a sigh. "You'll look beautiful in it."

"My daddy says I look beautiful in anything, so I can wear the black one." Bella argued as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You know I'm right, Sofie, I can hear it in your head."

"Okay, little one." Sofia said standing. "Go put on the black one."

Bella grinned and with a skip in her step she walked off towards the closet.

Sofia looked at Klaus and shook her head. "That girl isn't your blood, but she sure as hell is yours."

Klaus chuckled, "If you really wanted her to wear the orange dress you should've put the yellow one on the bed. She's very much like me and wants what she can't have."

"Have a good night, Klaus. I'll be heading out for the night." Sofia said she handed Klaus the orange dress. "You make sure she understands that she's not going anywhere. Her biggest fear is losing you, do what fathers do and make her fears go away."

Klaus smirked, "Goodbye, Sofia."

Sofia nodded and disappeared down the stairs.

Klaus entered the room and watched as Bella came out. "You look lovely."

Bella grinned, "Are we still going out?"

"Of course we are, little Bell." Klaus said he set her orange dress aside before he kneeled down to be at eye level with her. "Isabella, that man downstairs."

Bella shook her head and covered her ears. "He wants to take me away."

Klaus gently removed her hands from her ears. "That man was my brother and I swear to you that he will not take you anywhere. No one can take you away from me, do you understand that? I would never allow anything to happen to you."

Bella nodded, "Okay." She said softly. "I believe you." Klaus took in a deep breath as Bella hugged him. He had been with her for two years and yet it still awed him how easily she had taken to him. It was truly remarkable how she easily trusted him with her life. At times it still stunned him to realize how much she loved him.

Klaus picked her up in his arms. "Come on, little Bell, let's go out for the night."

-Page Break-

Bella crossed her arms over her chest and stared heavily at Sofia. Something was wrong as Sofia was starting to become fuzzy just like her dad. Bella walked over to her dad who was sitting on the couch. "Daddy." Bella said softly, her eyebrows scrunching together in frustration.

Klaus looked up from his sketch pad. "Something wrong, little Bell?"

"Something's wrong with Sofie." Bella said with a frown. "She's getting big in her tummy and she's cranky, and she's starting to get fuzzy."

Klaus chuckled as he could see Sofia stop what she was doing and look at Bella. "Princess," Klaus said holding back another laugh. "Sofia is pregnant; she's going to have a baby in a few months."

"Is that why she's all fuzzy to me." Bella questioned confused.

Klaus nodded, he pulled Bella onto his lap. "I won't go into specifics, but in a few months she's going to have a baby, and this baby just like her is going to have magic. She's fuzzy to you because this baby is probably going to be stronger than her."

Bella frowned, "Is it going to be a boy?"

"There's no telling yet, we're going to have to wait and see." Klaus responded.

"Is that why Sofie's eating so much?" Bella questioned.

Klaus couldn't contain his laugh as he saw Sofia's face. "Yes, I suppose that's the reason why."

Bella's nose scrunched up, "Who's the dad?"

"There is no father," Sofia answered from across the room. "Just like you only have a dad, this baby is only going to have me."

Tears swelled in Bella's eyes. "Does that mean you won't be here anymore, Sofie?"

"Of course not, sweetie, it just means that there's going to be a baby around the house." Sofia responded she smiled as Bella grinned. "You'll always be my little one."

"This is going to be fun." Bella said with a grin, her f ace turned to a frown as a thought crossed her mind. "I'm going to be eight years older than the baby. I won't be able to go to school with him."

Klaus chuckled, "I'm sure we can find something for the both of you to do together."

-Page Break-

Bella crossed her arms over her chest as she sat in the principal's office. She turned her head and sat up straight as her dad came into the office followed by Sofia.

"Isabella." Klaus said in a tone that had Bella close to regretting her actions.

"Dad." She looked to Sofia and smiled. "Sofie."

"Mr. Mikaelson, please take a seat." The principal said pointing to the seat beside Bella. "Please, Mrs. Brown, take a seat as well."

"Can you tell me why you brought me here in the middle of the day?" Klaus said doing his best to keep his anger from his tone.

"Your daughter started a fight today with Andrea Mathews and Thomas Winston" The principal said. "She's currently in the hospital with a broken nose and he is being treated for a broken arm and a fractured ankle."

Klaus turned to Bella, "Care to explain yourself, sweetheart."

Bella sighed, "She deserved it, dad." She glared at the principal before turning back to Klaus. "What he's not telling you is why Sofie's here. This girl is an underclassman, she's 15 and in Max's classes. She and her friends have been manipulating him for weeks, and when Max said he wouldn't do their homework anymore, she humiliated him! She had her boyfriend stick him in a locker! If I hadn't gotten to Max on time he would've suffocated in there. When I got him out he was hyperventilating and searching for his inhaler, which I may add, she took from him!"

"Ms. Mikaelson, none of that has been proven!" The principal responded.

Bella stood up angrily. "Why don't you bring my brother in here then? OH WAIT!" Bella said with a bitter laugh, "He's with the nurse trying to get his breathing under control! Don't you fucking dare tell me that they didn't do anything to Maddox!" Bella turned to Klaus noticing Sofia had already left the room. "Dad, there's cameras everywhere, it's all recorded. They could've killed Max." Bella sat back down and put her hand in her dad's and let him see the principal's thoughts, because as calm as he seemed his thoughts betrayed him.

Klaus nodded, "Go find Maddox and Sofia, Isabella."

Bella didn't argue she grabbed her bag and headed out of the room. She headed to the nurse's office and saw little Maddox sitting down with his inhaler in his hands as she stood outside the closed door. She'd been asked by her 'friends' why she didn't take her early acceptance into Harvard, but when she heard that 10 year old Maddox was being moved up to the 9th grade, she couldn't leave him alone on his first year. It was now that she was truly grateful for her decision. Maddox was quiet, he rarely talked to anyone outside of the family and she knew that would leave him vulnerable.

Bella opened the door to the nurse's office and she could instantly hear Sofia's arguing. She didn't focus on what was being said instead made her way over to her brother. "Hey, Max." She said as she took a seat beside him. "How are you feeling?"

"Good considering the circumstances." He replied softly. "Did you get in trouble?"

Bella rolled her eyes, "Of course not!"

"Why am I so weird, Izzy?" He asked as he looked out the window. "Why couldn't I be like the other kids my age"

Bella smiled, "Do you remember the story I told you about how I met my dad?"

Maddox nodded, "Out by the lake."

"That day, I told him that he was special, just like me, and that two special people were meant to be together. Then your mom came along, and I knew she was special too, because let's face it your mom is pretty cool. Then it became three special people that were brought together and we formed this strange little family. Then you came along and you were smart from a young age, something I like to believe I had a hand in. You were the last piece, Max, the final edition to this strange little family." Bella said as she looked out the window. "You don't want to be like everyone else, Max, it's boring and it makes everything dull. You're the smartest kid I know and you're going to be one of the strongest Warlocks out there. That's something to be proud of, you shouldn't let airheaded brats make you feel bad about yourself because one day when they're flipping burgers, you're going to be doing something amazing."

Maddox laughed lightly. "It was pretty funny to see you beat up the star quarterback, he never saw that coming."

Bella smiled, "I've been working on my left hook, I thought it went really well." Bella sighed, "Though I think you're going to have to share your bike with me."

"Why?" Maddox questioned curiously.

"I might've used my little power to figure out that Principal Franklin's biggest fear are black widows. I used that basic magic spell your mom taught me to make thousands of spiders appear in his car. Dad won't let me get away with that one… He's taking the keys away for sure this time." Bella said with a smile. "So worth it, though."

-Page Break-

Bella looked down at her phone as she got a text from Maddox.

 _I broke your stereo._

Bella rolled her eyes and responded back to him. After his mother's passing a few months ago she was sure he'd never talk again, but she had been surprised how maturely he had been acting as of late.

Bella stumbled back in surprise as she ran into someone. "Whoa." She said trying to steady herself.

She frowned as she tried to get into the guy's mind, but just like her dad and Maddox she couldn't read his mind. She tilted her head as she noticed he barely even moved, his face was pale and she knew enough about vampires to know that he was definitely one of them.

"Are you alright?" He questioned looking her over for any injuries.

Bella nodded, "Perfectly fine, not really the first time I've dealt with vampires." Bella said dusting off her jacket. She walked past him and went to continue on to her class, the last thing she wanted was to be late on her first week.

"Hey." He said following after her. "how did you…"

Bella rolled her eyes, "My dad is a vampire, I know how to tell if someone is a vampire not. The fact that you didn't react at all to having me bump into you just proved it to me. Not to mention your eyes dilated when you got too close to me."

"How is your dad a vampire?" he questioned in curiosity.

"I'm adopted, but that doesn't change that he's still my dad." Bella responded, she turned to the stranger. "Look, I don't care that you're a vampire, so you really don't have to worry about me going around telling everyone I meet about you."

"How are you so sure that I just won't kill you?" He questioned in response.

Bella smirked, "Because if you even lay one finger on me, my father will destroy you. My father is very old, and he has quite a temper. Not to mention that I can do a bit of magic, I'll have you on your knees in seconds if you even try anything."

The vampire smirked, "I'm Stefan."

"Isabella, but I prefer Bella." She responded, "Pleasure meeting you Stefan, but I have to get to class."

Bella opened the door to her lecture and looked over her shoulder to see Stefan still looking at her. She smiled before disappearing into the class.

-Page Break-

Stefan handed Bella her ice cream. "So why are you still human?"

Bella smiled but shrugged. "I'm not a hundred percent sure that I want to become a vampire. I want to wait on it, give myself some time to just be."

Stefan tilted his head and looked at her curiously. Just a few days with her and he could already feel himself getting attached to her, he tried to fight it, but he couldn't help but talk to her. He had even started to go out of his way to walk her to her classes. He stopped walking and soon she stopped walking too.

Bella smirked at him, "Coming to some sort of epiphany there, Stefan?"

Stefan raised a brow at her in question. "Do you already know what I'm thinking?"

Bella shrugged and kept walking. "I told you already I couldn't read your mind, but that doesn't mean I can't guess what you're thinking about. You have a pretty expressive face, Stefan. When you're ready to ask me on a date I'll be happy to answer."

Stefan chuckled and continued to walk with her. "How could you tell?"

Bella looked over at him and took a spoonful of her ice cream. She leaned up and pressed a finger between his brows. "This scrunches up when you're thinking too much, and you were looking at me all weird."

Stefan smiled, "Alright, so where do you want to go for our date?"

Bella laughed, "What makes you think I'm going to say yes?"

"You wouldn't have brought it up if you were planning to say no." Stefan replied with a smirk.

Bella sighed, "Okay, but I'm not choosing where we're going. That's your responsibility for initiating the date."

"Technically you initiated the date for bringing it up." Stefan said as he took the spoon from her mouth and ate the ice cream there.

Bella glared at Stefan and pulled the spoon out of his mouth. "I refuse to plan this date. I'm not very good at planning, so you're going to have to just bite the bullet and do this."

Stefan smiled, "Fine, but no matter what I choose to do you have to act like you're enjoying it."

Bella smirked, "I guess that drama class I took in high school is finally going to pay off."

-Page Break-

Bella picked up her phone just as her father's ringtone went off. "Hey, dad."

"How are you doing, little Bell?" Klaus questioned curiously, it had been a day without speaking to Bella and he needed to check in and make sure she was okay.

Bella smiled she looked over to see Stefan was close to waking. Not wanting to disturb him she stood and walked out to the kitchen. "It's school." She responded simply. "I study in the morning and then in the afternoon I party like a wild child."

"You're not funny, Isabella." Klaus responded dryly. "You're not in any sort of trouble are you?"

Bella shook her head, "No, dad. I'm perfectly fine, but is there a reason you're asking?"

Klaus sighed, "I believe it may now be very well known that I have a daughter. I've been worried that something or someone may have harmed you."

Bella nodded understanding what he was trying to say. "If it makes you feel better we can talk more. I've been getting a little homesick lately. I was thinking about coming down soon, I want to spend some time with you and Max. Life really isn't all that fun without the two of you in it. Besides, Max keeps breaking all of my stuff, I think it's his way of throwing a tantrum that I'm gone."

Bella entered the living room with a soda can in her hand as she listened to her dad discuss his business. "Obviously, you need to send them a message. Just kill the messenger, and send them the body with a nice note letting them know you don't take their threats lightly."

Klaus chuckled, "When did you become so much like me?"

"Around the time you took me in." Bella said with a smile as she kicked her feet up on the coffee table and talked to her dad. Bella looked at the clock on the wall to see it was already 5 in the morning and she had class in about five hours.

"I'll call you later, Isabella." Klaus said as there was a sound on his line of the phone.

Bella nodded feeling sad their call had ended. "Okay, dad, I'll be waiting. Love you, be safe."

Klaus chuckled, "Love you as well, little Bell. Call if you're in any sort of emergency."

Bella nodded, "I always will, dad." Bella heard the soft click of the phone as the call was hung up. She let out a deep sigh as she set her phone down. She didn't really notice how much she missed her dad until that moment. Talking to him on the phone reminded her of the days she would spend in his study laying on the sofa as he painted. She put her hand to her chest as it ached, she needed her family.

"Something wrong, sweetheart?" Stefan said entering the living room and taking a seat beside her. He put his arms around her as she snuggled into him.

"I just miss my dad and Max." Bella said quietly. "It sucks being so far away from them. I'm so used to spending everyday with them, it's weird not to see them."

"You should visit them soon." Stefan responded as he kissed her temple.

Bella nodded, "I want to see them again."

"You can tell him your dating a vampire." Stefan said with a smirk knowing that always cheered her up. For some reason it always made her smile to think about introducing him to her father.

"My dad would kill you." Bella said moving to look at Stefan. "And I like you too much to just spring the news on him. He's not open to the idea of his baby girl dating a vampire. I can guarantee you he would come after you, some torture, compelling and most likely a coffin would be included. I'm easing him into the idea."

Stefan smiled, he was fine on letting her take her time. He understood her reasoning and with his reputation he could understand why her father would try to kill him. "I love you." He responded closing the gap between them. He pulled back after a minute and met her eyes. "I would endure any amount of torture if it meant I get to keep you in the end."

Bella smiled, "I love you, Stefan. I'll always love you." She promised as her hand went to his hair and she pulled him back to her. Yes, she would ease her dad into the idea of her being with someone, especially Stefan. Because she knew there was no one that could compare to her Stefan, and she was determined to keep him.

-Page Break-

Bella paused as she walked back to her bed. Stefan was asleep on his back, his ruffled hair a perfect mess as always. She walked forward as she saw the light to her phone blinking. She grabbed it and headed out to the living room of her apartment.

"Hello." She said answering it.

"Hey, I need your help." Maddox's voice said through the phone.

Bella sighed, "It's three in the morning Max, this better be important."

"It is." He assured, "I have a dance tonight and this girl asked me to go with her…."

Bella raised a brow in surprise. "So what's the problem?"

"I don't know if she's playing a joke or not." Max said quietly. "After freshman year…."

"Andrea got what she deserved." Bella said with a frown. "How does this girl treat you daily?"

Maddox sighed, "She's really nice." He said quietly. "She eats lunch with me."

"It seems to me she just thinks your cute." Bella said with a smile. "I told you girls find brown eyes attractive."

Maddox sighed in annoyance. "You're basically stating that girls find you attractive too."

Bella laughed, "I won't lie, I have been pursued by girls, but you know I don't roll that way, Max."

"I'll call you later, Izzy." Maddox said. "Your dad is getting up to take me too school."

"Speaking of my dad," Bella said with a smile. "Tell him I'll facetime him later. I have to get some sleep before I have to get to class. Love you, Max."

Maddox laughed, "Love you too, Izzy."

Bella hung up her phone and turned to see a smirking Stefan. "Eavesdropping?"

"I didn't feel you in bed. Got worried." Stefan said simply. "Your brother doing okay?"

"Yeah, just some basic high school trust issues." Bella said with a shrug.

"Who's Andrea?" Stefan questioned curiously.

"Some girl I may or may not have sent to the hospital for picking on my brother." Bell said with a shrug. "She really did need that nose job anyway; I did her a favor."

Bella smiled and walked past him. "Don't ask too many questions, my love."

Stefan smiled and walked up behind her. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to the bed. He tightened his arms around her and closed his eyes. Laughing lightly when she tried to wiggle away from him. "Bella sweetheart, go back to sleep."

"I will as soon as you stop manhandling me." Bella said she laughed lightly when he loosened his hold on her. She wiggled around and rested her head on his chest so she was able to look up at him.

Stefan opened his eyes slowly and met Bella's eyes. "What are you doing? We're supposed to be sleeping."

Bella nodded, "I know, I just wanted to stare for a little bit. I don't get to see you so relaxed too often. You always have this look on your face like you're thinking too hard or something. I tend to call it your serious vampire look, not to be mistaken with your serious vampire stare down look."

Stefan laughed, "What the hell is a serious vampire stare down look."

"It's when you're thinking about someone that you don't like. Like that Fred guy, the one in my psych class." Bella said with a smile. "You always get this look like you're secretly planning his death in your head."

Stefan reached forward and put his hand over her eyes. "Go to sleep, Bella sweetheart, you have class in the morning."

Bella smiled she rested her cheek on his chest just above his heart. "Night Stefan."

-Page Break-

Stefan entered Bella's apartment and paused to see it completely empty. Even the furniture had disappeared. All that was left was a note taped to the mirror at the entrance with his name on it.

 _Stefan,_

 _I'm sorry I have to do this through a letter, I know it's pathetic._

 _I have to go. Please know that the very last thing I would ever want to do is leave you, but it's something I have to do._

 _I'm so sorry. I hope that maybe one day you'll forgive me._

 _I love you._

 _Isabella._

Stefan shook his head not believing that she would do something like this. He loved her and she just disappeared on him. How could she!

In a fit of anger Stefan took ahold of the mirror on the wall and pulled it down letting the pieces crash to the ground.

-Page Break-

Bella breathed heavily pressing herself against a tree. She looked around and closed her eyes focusing in on the mind that was drawing closer.

She took a left.

She sighed in relief as he walked in the other direction. Bella waited for his thoughts to disappear from her mind before she took off running. She entered the small diner through the back door and made sure to lock it. She looked around making sure to keep the lights off. She headed behind the counter and looked for the phone. She sighed in relief and grabbed it off the wall. She dialed the number she knew by heart and slid down the wall.

"Hello?" Klaus answered in a tone filled with more than anger.

"Daddy?" Bella whimpered out as she grabbed at her stomach. "I don't feel good."

"Isabella, where are you, sweetheart?" Klaus questioned immediately.

"I'm in Florida." Bella whispered as she tried to fight sudden need for sleep that she had.

"Where?" Klaus questioned there was some ruffling on the other line.

"Umm… Miami." Bella whispered, "I'm in Miami."

"I'm not that far." Klaus assured, "I need you to keep talking."

Bella's eyes batted. "Where's Max?"

"He's here." Klaus said there was more ruffling on the line.

"Izzy?" Maddox's voice came through the phone.

Bella sighed, "Hey, Max."

"Umm… I got into the early admissions program at Princeton." Maddox said softly trying to keep his sister's mind off of the situation at hand. "They want me to join their physics department."

"And what did you say?" Bella questioned curiously she looked down to see her hand covered in blood.

"I accepted." Maddox replied. "I wanted to see if I could really do it."

"That's so good, Max." Bella said, "You're such an awesome kid."

"It's not too nerdy, Izzy?" Max questioned curiously.

Bella blinked her eyes. "You're not nerdy, Max. You're just a kid genius. You should be proud of that."

"Izzy, you're going to be okay, right?" Maddox questioned.

Bella smiled, "You know my dad would never let anything happen to me. I'm just too special."

"He wants to know where you are. What you can see." Maddox said.

"It's a diner, near a park or something. It had lots of trees and it was near an abandoned factory. That's where they kept me." Bella said she closed her eyes. "I love you, Max. Can you pass me back my dad?"

"love you too, Izzy." Maddox said before he handed the phone over.

"We're almost there, Isabella. I can smell your scent in the air." Klaus said his tone trying to reassure her that everything was going to be okay.

"I'm not going to make it long, daddy." Bella said with a soft sob. "If you have to, I'm okay with turning."

"Isabella, you're going to be fine." Klaus argued the sound of tires screeching in the background.

Bella sobbed softly. "I love you, dad. I'm really grateful that it was you who adopted me. I really love you, daddy, so much."

"Isabella," Klaus said softly. "Answer me, Isabella."

Bella's head fell back against the wall and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Her hand was placed on the wound of her stomach but as much as she tried she couldn't get herself to answer to her dad who was still on the phone shouting at her to respond. She wanted to, but she couldn't' get the words out of her mouth.

She opened her eyes slightly as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She felt relieved when she saw her dad's familiar face. She felt his hand go to her cheek, but she couldn't hear anything that he was saying, it was all blurry. She met his eyes trying to keep his face in her mind as she felt her eyes start to slip shut against her will.

Bella felt something warm and bitter enter her mouth. She tried to spit it back out, but it didn't work it started to slip down her throat. She started to give up resisting and just let whatever it was flow into her mouth. She leaned her head back as she just couldn't do it anymore.

 _No one will ever take you away from me._

She heard her father's words echo in her head as she felt her mind drift away.

 _I love you, Izzy._

Maddox her brother, his brown eyes and cute face flashed through her mind for a moment. His soft laughter to her stupid jokes echoed in her mind as she remembered him.

 _You'll always be my little one._

Sofia. God, she missed Sofie sometimes.

 _Bella sweetheart._

Stefan. His green eyes, she loved his eyes. His perfectly messy hair that she enjoyed running her hands through. His lips when he smiled, when he kissed her.

Bella let go as she slipped away into the nothing. The last thing she remembered were a pair of green eyes, eyes that she would never see again.

-Page Break-

Bella laughed as Maddox entered her room cautiously. "It's okay, I wouldn't hurt you, Max."

"Klaus says you're super sensitive right now to blood, so you know, I didn't want to tempt you." Maddox said entering.

"Surprising enough, your blood doesn't really call to me." Bella said, "You want to see something really cool?"

Maddox nodded stepping closer with caution.

"Do you remember how I could do some magic because of my little gift?" Bella questioned.

"Yeah, mom used to say that you were always a little bit magical." Maddox replied.

Bella nodded, "I guess when I turned I lost that magic, but I did gain this." Bella said she focused on the pen on her desk and it slowly came floating towards her.

"That's so cool!" Maddox said in excitement. "So you're telekinetic now?"

Bella nodded, "Yeah, I guess so." Bella patted the spot next to her. "Come, lay down with me."

Maddox climbed up and laid down next to her. "Are you sick, Izzy?"

"Of course not, why do you ask?" Bella questioned.

"Because you've been in your bed for the last few days." Maddox replied. "You haven't left your room at all since you came home. Your dad has to go out to get you blood."

Bella smiled sadly. "I guess I'm just a little sad. I lost something important to me, and it just hurts."

Maddox sighed, "My mom once told me that if you let something go and it doesn't come back, it was never yours to have, but if it comes back to you than it was meant to be."

Bella looked to Maddox, his words meaning more to her than he would ever realize. "Thanks for that, Max."

Bella walked through the dark hallway and entered her father's study. "Dad?"

Klaus looked up from his book setting it down instantly as he saw his daughter. "Something wrong, little Bell?"

Bella smiled at the name. "Can we talk for a second?"

Klaus nodded, "Take a seat."

Bella sat down next to him. "I lied to you."

Klaus looked at her curiously, "About what?"

"For the past year, I was seeing someone." Bella said softly. "His name was Stefan."

Klaus stiffened slightly. "Stefan Salvatore, a vampire?"

Bella nodded she didn't question how her dad knew that, he was old so she suspected he probably had met Stefan in his time. "I fell in love dad and it hurts." Bella pressed her hand to her chest. "It hurts so much I feel like I can't breathe anymore. It's like there's something heavy on my chest and it's making hard to breath. I'm not sure I can keep going on like this, daddy."

Klaus pulled his daughter closer as he saw her break down in tears, something he rarely ever saw. "Did you really love him, Isabella?"

Bella nodded against his chest. "I love him, dad. But when those vampires took me, they forced me to write him a letter. They emptied out my apartment and made it seem like I left him. He thinks I abandoned him and there's nothing I can do about it. I tried to get in touch with him, but there's nothing. He's disappeared and I don't know what to do. I don't know how to make it right."

Klaus rubbed his daughters back and let her cry. "I can find him, Isabella, but I don't think you should. It might be for the best if you let time take its course."

"Will it ever stop hurting?" Bella questioned quietly.

"If it does, then it wasn't mean to be." Klaus responded. "Take it from someone who has been in love before, if they're easy to forget than they're not worth your time in the first place."

-Page Break-

Bella smiled as she walked beside Maddox through the town of Mystic falls, it was 5 years after her turn and her Max was just 18, but her genius brother had already graduated from Princeton. They were here only for a bit to help her father with his curse.

"Come on, it's lunch." Bella said as she pulled him into the diner. Now that they were relatively the same age she found that her Max really grew into one of the best people in the world. "We owe it to ourselves after capturing Katherine."

Maddox rolled his eyes as he entered. "I did all the work, Izzy."

"That's a lie, I pushed her down the stairs." Bella said as she walked with Maddox to the pool table. "Ever played?"

Maddox shook his head. "No, but I have a feeling we're about to play."

"You set it up and I go order us a few drinks. Don't tell my dad that I'm allowing you to drink." Bella teased with a smile as she walked towards the bar. She batted her eyes at the bar tender and got a bottle of bourbon and two glasses, she would be doing the most of the drinking, but that didn't matter.

She turned and smiled as she saw Maddox playing at the tables. She took a step back as she ran into someone. "Sorry." She said as she looked up to see who she had run into. She felt her eyes widened as she saw the familiar green eyes that had haunted her mind for the past 5 years. "Excuse me." She said as she pushed past him and went to Maddox. She set the bottle down.

"Let's go." Bella said, "We have somewhere else to be."

Maddox looked at her curiously but set down the pool stick. "Yeah, okay. Let's go, Izzy."

Stefan blinked repeatedly as he watched Bella leave the Grill. Suddenly meeting his brother and Elena wasn't important. He followed after them to see Bella walk closely at the man's side. He strained his ears to hear their conversation between all the noise of the crowd in the streets but he could make it out just barely.

"You don't have to explain anything, Izzy." The man replied. "We're good."

Bella smiled. "Thanks, let's just see if we can get something from that bakery."

The man reached into his coat pocket. "Just give me a moment, I've got a call to take."

"I'll meet you inside." Bella replied walking past him and into the bakery.

Stefan couldn't help himself as he followed after her. He watched her look over the menu seeing the familiar scrunch of her brows as she was thinking too hard. "Why did you do it?" He couldn't help but question her.

Bella took in a deep breath. "It was something I had to do." She said trying to hide her nerves.

"You left." He hissed. "Like it was nothing. How the hell could it be so easy for you to just leave me? Was everything you ever said a huge lie?"

Bella shook her head. "It wasn't, Stefan. Nothing between you and me was a lie, I promise."

Stefan laughed bitterly. "I'm supposed to believe you after you left overnight leaving me with nothing but a note!"

Bella glared at him. "What was I supposed to do, Stefan? Let the vampire with a gun to my head just shoot my brains out. Or maybe I was supposed to just let him kill me? I'm sorry I left you a note, but I had to because 3 vampires broke into my home and threatened my life. I'm sorry that they destroyed everything I owned and forced me to leave you. I'm sorry that it took me three days to escape and when I did only to die on the floor of a diner. I'm sorry that I tried to look for you but you disappeared."

Bella turned her head as she saw Maddox entered. "I would never leave you, Stefan, not of my own free will. I left because it was what I had to do at the time. There isn't a day where I don't regret leaving you. I'm sorry that I hurt you, I would never do it purposely."

Bella walked past Stefan and took Maddox's hand in hers and pulled him out of the bakery. She led him to their car and once they were inside she let out a sigh. "FUCK!" She yelled in frustration.

Maddox started the car and started driving. "So, that was fun."

Bella laughed, "Yeah, that was just perfect, Max."

-Page Break-

Bella leaned against Maddox the powerful need to protect him was taking over as she had found him on the forest floor near where they were keeping the Sacrifices'. He had been unconscious having been snuck up on, she had vowed that after her father was done she'd get revenge. She looked up as she saw Stefan appear her entire body stiffened as he made his way to her. She left Maddox's side and walked up to him.

"What are you doing here?" Bella questioned as she crossed her arms over her chest to look at him.

"My brother is on his way here to try and talk Klaus out of killing Elena." Stefan said.

"I truly doubt he'll be able to change my mind." Klaus said walking up to the two. He stood behind Bella and glared at Stefan.

Bella looked to her dad and back to Stefan. "Stefan, this is my dad and as you've heard there's no changing his mind."

"I need you to help Maddox." Klaus said to her.

Bella nodded, "I can't do magic, but I'll see what I can do."

"Don't let him hit his head again, little Bell." Klaus said sternly.

"I know and he knows that too." Bella said she watched her father walk away and turned to walk back towards her brother. She paused as she felt Stefan's hand on her arm stopping her. "Look Stefan, I'm already on edge today, I just can't handle this right now. If you want to yell at me more or whatever you can, just not right now. I have to go make sure my brother is okay and that my dad stays alive."

"I still love you." Stefan stated as he let go of her arm. "I'll let you go, but this isn't done with yet."

Bella nodded, "Okay." She said with a nod of her head.

She walked back towards Maddox and stood at his side a small smile on her face as she did so.

-Page Break-

Bella walked to the Salvatore house, she had beaten Damon to a pulp earlier, it was only fair for what he had done to Maddox. Bella grabbed a handful of rocks and walked around the house she could hear the thoughts of people inside, she stopped at a certain window knowing this one had to be Stefan's. She pulled back and threw a rock at the window. She did it again and again until the curtain was pulled back and the window was open. She locked eyes with Stefan for a moment before turning around and heading into the woods.

"How's your brother?" Bella questioned as she walked.

"Healing, he's not sure what attacked him, but he said it felt like an invisible force." Stefan replied softly.

Bella smirked, "No one hurts my brother and gets away with it."

"How did you do it?" Stefan questioned as he walked alongside her.

"When I turned I lost the little magic I could do, but I gained the ability of telekinesis. It's proven to be useful." Bella said with a shrug.

"What happened?" Stefan questioned.

Bella took in a deep breath. "I was sleeping, and I heard some voices and the landlord let these three men into my apartment. He was part owner so his invitation counted and they came in. I could hear their thoughts and they wanted me to use as leverage with my dad. They wanted something from him, so they used his weakest point against him. I tried to fight against them, but it was three against one and I didn't really have a chance. One of them pressed a gun to my head and told me to stay quiet. The other two started taking everything out of the apartment. They had been surveilling me for weeks so they knew how often you came over. They didn't want you getting in the way, it seems they knew your reputation as the Ripper, so they needed you out of the way. I had to write you a letter to make you think I just didn't want you around."

Bella laughed bitterly at the memory. "Do you know how many times I had to write that stupid note? When it was finally done they taped it to the mirror by the door and finished packing everything away. Once it was all done they drove off. When we were in the middle of nowhere they set everything I owned on fire. They forced me to watch as it all burned. They kept driving and finally they called my dad, they wanted him to surrender a man they thought my dad had. Only my dad had killed this man weeks before."

"What did they do to you?" Stefan asked his hands flexing into fists.

"Nothing much, just tied me up to a chair and left me in a factory to die. They figured if my dad had killed one of their men they'd kill me in retaliation." Bella said, "One of them, he had a soft spot for me. He liked the way I looked and his thoughts always got away with him. I used that against him, I told him my arms were numb from being tied up behind my back, so he said he'd fix it so they lay on my lap. When he untied him I used a basic pain spell on him and freed myself. I broke the chair into pieces and stabbed him in the heart. The one that was outside he came after me I started to run, but before I could get far he shot me. The blood was everywhere, so I took a moment while he called his backup and took off my sweater and ripped off a piece to cover the wound enough so the blood wouldn't leak everywhere. I then used the rest of the sweater to lead them in a different direction. I threw it on a stray dog and when it took off it took my scent with him. I managed to break into this diner and luckily for me they had a phone. My dad and Max where already in Florida looking for me so it wasn't too long before they found me. It didn't matter though, I lost too much blood. My dad turned me."

"And the men, the ones that took you?" Stefan questioned.

Bella smirked widely. "My dad waited, let the last two panic for a bit before he planned his attack. He took me with him. I never thought I'd be good with torture, but I found that if it was for a good reason I could do it just fine. They died slowly. They're still dying to be honest, I couldn't just let them get off easy. You don't hurt a Mikaelson without getting punished."

Stefan stopped walking as he saw Bella stop as well. She looked up to the sky and took in the light of the moon. "This was always your favorite time of the month."

Bella smiled widely, "It's when people are free to do as they please. How could I not enjoy it? I'm leaving tomorrow morning…"

"Why?" Stefan asked worried, the last thing he wanted was for her to just disappear again.

"I'm taking Max to the airport." Bella said with a smirk. "You didn't let me finish my sentence, my love."

Stefan closed his eyes at her words. He stepped forward and pushed his hand into her hair and kissed her. It was rougher than he had intended it to be, but it had been too long since he last had the opportunity to feel her. He pulled back and smiled down at her. "We can start over." Stefan stated. "These last years have sucked without you, Bella sweetheart. I'm more than willingly to try to make us work if you're willing to do the same."

Bella nodded, "You know, this time it's going to be better."

Stefan looked at her curiously. "Why do you say that?"

Bella smirked widely. "I'm a vampire. There's no holding back anymore."

-Page Break-

Bella leaned against Stefan as they both stood in the living room of her father's large home. Maddox was doing something in Italy so he was absent from this event, but sooner or later he'd return. "Do we really have to do this, dad?"

Klaus looked to Bella and rolled his eyes at her attitude. "I would've thought you would get over your hatred for Elijah."

Bella scoffed, "Hatred is a light word to describe what I feel for him. He tried to take me away from you, I don't take that lightly."

"You're old enough now to be able to let him have it." Stefan said as he smirked.

Bella nodded her head with a wide smile. "You do have a strong point, my love." She said as she stood and headed over to her father. "Need any help un-daggering them? I'm more than happy to pull that dagger out of Elijah. Just be fair warned that I might slip and accidently stab him."

Klaus rolled his eyes, "I'm sure I can handle it myself, little Bell. I'll be back in a few minutes, try not to be kissing when I return."

"I make no promises, dad." Bella said she moved and sat down in Stefan's lap. She rested her head on his shoulder her lips grazing his neck lightly. She smiled as he shifted around, she knew that his neck was his soft spot.

"Your dad will have a fit if he walks in on us again." Stefan said as he gripped Bella tightly.

Bella smirked and moved so she was straddling his lap. "We'll just have to be careful." She assured as she leaned back down to kiss at his neck. She kissed a trail to his lips and smiled as he didn't seem to be patient sinking his hand in her hair to move her lips to his. Bella deepened the kiss between them and leaned as close to him as she could to him.

Stefan laughed lightly as Bella pulled away from him and moved to sit directly beside him with her legs in his laps. He smiled as she leaned forward and used her finger to wipe her thumb across his lips to remove any stray signs of her lipstick. Stefan put his arm around her shoulder and brought her in closer. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed in comfort.

"Glad to see you're not attached at the lips." Klaus said entering the room. Setting four daggers on the table by the door. "Now all that is left is to wait."

Bella sighed in annoyance. "You know as well as I do, dad that I don't have patience. A trait I inherited from you."

Klaus chuckled, "It should only take a couple hours at the most."

Bella turned her head and took in Stefan's scent. "What are we going to do for the next couple of hours?"

-Page Break-

Bella stood beside Stefan as they heard the four pairs of approaching footsteps. She turned to him and smirked. "Just putting this out there, but it's going to be really awkward seeing as the last time my aunt was awake you were her boyfriend and now you're with her niece."

Klaus chuckled not being able to help himself as he saw the look on Stefan's face. "That should really only make things much more interesting."

Stefan sighed, "I really do think I shouldn't be here for this. I don't see how my presence will help at all."

Klaus and Bella didn't respond as they both stiffened when the doors opened. Bella's hands balled into fists as she saw Elijah.

Stab him.

Bite him.

Make him pay.

She turned her head to the man whose thoughts were all centered around hurting her father. She stepped out of Stefan's arms and stood close to her father. She kept her eyes on the man as there was a stare off between everyone in the room. She didn't hesitate pushing her arm forward as she saw him lunge she sent him into a wall creating a large dent.

"Isabella." Klaus said turning to her.

"He started it." She hissed as she kept her eyes on them while she put her hand on Klaus's arm. Letting him hear their thoughts.

"Take a step back." Klaus said he stepped forward. "I suppose it's time to bring this family back together."

Bella moved and stepped into Stefan's arms his arms wrapped around her waist his hands pressing down to keep her in place. She rested her arms above his and stared at the people gathered in front of her.

"What the bloody hell is that harlot doing here?" Rebekah shouted she stepped forward and glared at Bella. "Get your filthy hands off of him."

Bella growled, "Dad…"

Klaus stepped in front of Bella and his eyes glowed as he stared down his sister. "Watch your mouth, Rebekah. I will not tolerate you disrespecting my daughter in my own home."

"You're the small girl." Elijah said staring at Bella catching the resemblances he now saw.

Bella smirked, "I should be so happy you remember me, Elijah." She paused her smirk growing widely. "Or should I say uncle Elijah?"

Stefan leaned down and kissed Bella's temple. "You're only adding fuel the fire, sweetheart."

Bella shrugged, but stayed silent as she watched her father deal with his siblings. She was close to ripping Rebekah's head straight off her neck if the blonde original didn't stop thinking obscenities about Stefan. She put her hand on Stefan's and let him hear what was Rebekah was thinking. She smiled as his hold on her tightened and he turned his head to kiss her neck.

"Just breathe, sweetheart." Stefan whispered into her ear. "If a few more minutes and we can sneak out of here."

"Not a bloody chance." Klaus hissed turning his head. "You're both staying in my line of sight for the remainder of the evening."

Bella rolled her eyes, "Sure we are, dad." She smiled as Stefan kissed her cheek and moved his fingers in a lazy pattern on her arm.

Bella took Stefan's hand and the two of them snuck out of the room once all the tensions seemed to die down. She led him to the balcony on the top floor of the home and in a swift move she jumped on the roof. She grinned as Stefan did the same. Bella walked with him on the roof and they sat at the top next to the chimney. Bella rested her head on Stefan's shoulder. "This took longer than expected." She whispered as the sun was already setting. Stefan moved and held her closer.

"It was less bloody than I thought it would be." Stefan responded honestly.

Bella smirked, "It really was anticlimactic. I was really hoping that I would be able to hit at least one of them. Preferably the blonde."

Stefan chuckled lightly. He used his fingers to turn her head to look at him. "I love you, sweetheart."

Bella turned to him and grinned widely. "I love you too, Stefan." She closed her eyes as his lips met hers. Their kiss was so soft that it made her toes tingle.

"ISABELLA!" Klaus shouted.

Bella pulled away and laughed, "I guess he figured out we disappeared."

Stefan smirked, "If we hurry we can jump down and make a run for the woods."

Bella grinned she stood and took Stefan's hand, they both took off running jumping off the roof. Bella landed on Stefan's back and the two of them took off together.

-Page Break-

Bella shifted around not really being able to sleep. After a week with her father and his siblings she and Stefan decided to leave for a bit, it seemed things would go easier if it were just siblings in the house. Bella took in a deep breath and turned around her eyes landing on Stefan's sleeping face.

She swore that he was always the most peaceful when he was sleeping. She tucked a hand under her head and kept her eyes on him. She smiled as his lips twitched slightly and his eyebrows scrunched together.

"It's rude to stare, sweetheart." Stefan whispered his hand reached out to grip onto her hip to pull her slightly closer. Stefan rested his forehead against her own and took in her sweet scent. "What are you doing up?"

Bella smiled, "Doing what I love the most, my love." Bella teased as her hand reached up to run through his already messy hair. "You're what they call adorable, my love."

"Staring is still creepy, sweetheart. No matter the circumstance." Stefan responded leaning forward slightly so his lips grazed hers. Bella smiled as she felt his hand tangle in her hair bringing her head closer so he could deepen the kiss.

"Something is on your mind, my love." Bella said pulling back slightly. "You were getting that serious look on your face. You know the one you get when you're thinking too much about something."

"I was sleeping." Stefan responded rolling his eyes slightly.

Bella smiled, "Yes, but you were still thinking about something. What's on your mind?"

"I wanted to ask you to marry me." Stefan responded slowly. "I just wasn't sure whether or not that would be something you wanted."

"I won't answer until you ask me," Bella responded leaning in a little closer so her lips hovered just above his. "But I'm not opposed to the idea of marrying you. I should warn you that you should definitely ask my dad about it first. He's old fashioned and would want you to ask for my hand first."

Stefan smirked, "I already did."

Bella nodded she closed the small gap between them. Her lips fitting perfectly against his as she moved impossibly close to Stefan, her hands running through his hair as they kissed. She pulled back with a smile. "When you're ready to ask I'll be happy to provide an answer."

Stefan smiled, "Good. I'm eager to hear it."


End file.
